Crispy Zucchini and Carrot Fritters

Crispy outside and perfectly moist but not soggy on the inside, these Zucchini Fritters with Carrots are light, crispy, and oh-so-yummy! They are quick and easy and loaded with veggies! Best of all, you only need six ingredients to turn everyday vegetables to delicious golden wonders!

If you love zucchini, you will also love my Air fryer zucchini fries – garlicky, crispy, and low-carb friendly!

Why you’ll love this side dish

What I love about these fritters is that they are quick and easy to make and you can practically turn any vegetables you have in the fridge into delicious wonders! If you often find yourself with leftover zucchini and carrots in the crispy drawer and don’t know what to do, make my Zucchini Carrot Fritters!

These fritters remind me of my Keto Chinese scallion pancakes – golden crispy outside and moist but not soggy inside. They are light and airy, and once you’ve taken a bite, you can’t stop eating them!

The trick to make not soggy fritters is to salt the shredded carrots and zucchini for 10 minutes and wring out as much liquid as you can. Today’s recipe is gluten-free, vegetarian, paleo, and whole30.

Ingredients

• Main ingredients: Zucchini, carrots, almond flour
• Seasonings: Scallions, eggs, onion powder, light olive oil, and salt and pepper

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How to make crispy zucchini fritters

I use a food processor to shred the zucchini and carrots. It’s super quick if you have one at home. You can also use a cheese grater with some muscle to grate the veggies. 🙂

1. After you shred the zucchini and carrots, sprinkle salt over them and rest for 10 minutes. Salt will help draw out the extra water.
2. Use a cheesecloth to wring out as much liquid as you can. You’ll be surprised how much water they produce!
3. Add them to a large mixing bowl with almond flour, scallions, eggs, onion powder, and salt and pepper, and mix well.
4. I recommend using a 12-inch large frying pan or skillet that’s none-stick or ceramic. Preheat your pan over medium heat with light olive oil. Your pan should feel pretty warm but not burning or smoking hot.
5. Scoop the mixture into a ¼ cup and pack it down tight or they might fall apart. Add it to the pan and gently press it down a bit to make a round-shaped patty.
6. Pan-fry them to golden brown and crisp on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Don’t overcrowd the pan and pan fry them in 2 separate batches.
7. Serve them with paleo sour cream (recipe below) or plain yogurt, if you like.

Common FAQ

How do you shred zucchini

There are 2 ways to shred the zucchini and I’ve done both!

• Food processor: This is a much simpler and faster way to shred the zucchini and carrots.
• Cheese grater: If you don’t have a food processor, cheese grater also works. Just be prepared to use some muscle to grate the vegetables. 🙂

Why are my zucchini fritters soggy or not crispy?

Want to avoid soggy fritters? You need to salt the vegetables for 10 minutes after they are shredded. The salt will help draw out the extra water, then wring out the liquid with a cheesecloth. You’ll be surprised how much liquid there is!

Making ahead, Storing, and Reheating Tips:

• To make ahead: you can make ahead these fritters. After you cook and cool them down to room temperature, pack them for storage in the fridge.
• To store (fridge): store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Freezer storage: Some people mentioned you can freeze them for up to 2 months with parchment paper between each patty but I haven’t tried this method so if you do and find success, please share it with us in the comments section below.
• To reheat: reheat over a stovetop over medium to medium-low heat. You might not need to add oil at all. You can also reheat the fritters in the oven at 350F (for convection) or 375F (for regular oven without a fan) for 10-15 minutes, until warmed through.

🙋🏻‍♀️ Umami Cooking Tips:

• Do salt the vegetables. After you shred them, add a bit of salt and wait for 10 minutes and then wring out the liquid as much as you can so that your fritters will be crispy.
• Use a ¼ sized measuring cup to help you form even sized fritters and press the mixture down with the back of the spoon so they won’t fall apart in the pan.
• Use a ceramic or non-stick large skillet so that the fritters are less likely to stick to the bottom of your pan.
• Warm up the pan & Hear the sizzling sound. Warm up the pan over medium-heat. It should feel pretty warm but not smoking or burning hot so that the fritters can crispy up beautifully and not burnt. You should hear a gentle to moderate sizzling sound as soon as the batter hits the pan.
• Use a good amount of light olive oil. If you like golden crispy fritters so pick a good bottle of oil to use!
• Don’t overcrowd the skillet. You want to have enough room to flip the fritters without breaking them apart. I use a 12-inch skillet and cook them in 2 separate batches, 5 fritters per batch.

What to serve with zucchini carrot fritters

These zucchini carrot fritters are so delicious. I like to enjoy them on their own. You can also use them in various ways –

• Breakfast or brunch – serve with my paleo sour cream (recipe below) or any plain yogurt and with a cup of tea on the side for a terrific healthy vegetable-filled morning!
• As an appetizer – If you’re hosting a dinner party, these zucchini and carrot fritters will be a great finger food to warm up the appetite!
• Serve as a side dish – pair them with air fryer teriyaki salmon, baked or air fried sesame chicken, keto kimchi pancake, or air fried honey sriracha chicken!
• As a topping – add them to a big bowl of leafy greens to make the meal more filling with my triple green kale salad, Asian cucumber salad, Mandarin orange salad with chicken, Chinese garlic green beans, or Whole30 Korean vegetarian bibimbap.

More Ways To Use Zucchinis

• Air fryer zucchini and squash
• Zucchini pasta shrimp
• Ginger chicken stir-fry with zucchini squash
• Kimchi chicken with zucchini noodles
• Korean zucchini sides

Recipe Card

Crispy Zucchini Fritters with Carrots

5 from 18 votes

By ChihYu Smith

Prep: 20 minutes mins

Cook: 20 minutes mins

Total: 40 minutes mins

Servings: 10 fritters

These Zucchini Fritters with Carrots are crispy outside and moist inside.They are quick, easy, and loaded with veggies, plus gluten-free, paleo, and whole30!

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Ingredients 

USMetric

 

1x2x3x

For the zucchini fritters with carrots:

• ▢ 16 oz. zucchini about 2 large
• ▢ 10 oz. carrots
• ▢ 1 tsp coarse sea salt
• ▢ 1 cup almond flour
• ▢ 2 bulb scallions chopped
• ▢ 3 large eggs
• ▢ ½ tsp coarse sea salt
• ▢ ¼ tsp black pepper
• ▢ ½ tsp onion powder
• ▢ ⅔ cup light olive oil divided

For the paleo sour cream (optional), or plain yogurt, or lemon wedges

• ▢ 5.4 oz coconut cream unsweetened 1 small can
• ▢ ½ tbsp lemon juice or to taste
• ▢ ½ tsp apple cider vinegar or to taste
• ▢ pinch coarse sea salt

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Instructions 

• In a food processor or cheese grater, shred the zucchini and carrots. Add them to a large mixing bowl and sprinkle with 1 tsp salt. Mixwell and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Use a cheesecloth to wring out the excess liquid as much as you can. Add the zucchini and carrots back to the mixing bowl. Add the ingredients from flour to onion powder. Mix and stir-well.
• Preheat a large (12-inch) ceramic or non-stick skillet over medium heat, when it feels pretty warm to your palm (about 2-3 inches away) add ⅓ cup of oil.
• Scoop the fritter mixture into a ¼ sized measuring cup. Pack it tight and press the mixture down with the back of the spoon so it won’t fall apart in the pan. Add it to the pan and gently press it down a bit with a spatula to make a round shaped patty. You should hear a gentle to moderate sizzling sound. Each pan should be able to hold about 5 patties.
• Pan fry the fritters until they are golden brown outside and crispy, about 4 minutes first side and 3 minutes the flip side. Repeat the process and add more oil until you finish the mixture.
• To keep the fritters crispy as you work on the second batch, you can rest them over a baking rack so the bottom won’t turn soggy. Some people also put them in a warmed oven to keep them warm. 🙂
• Serve hot with paleo sour cream, plain yogurt, or lemon wedges, if you like! Personally, I like to pair them with a cup of tea!

Notes

Making ahead, Storing, and Reheating Tips:

• To make ahead: you can make ahead these fritters. After you cook and cool them down to room temperature, pack them for storage in the fridge.
• To store (fridge): store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• To store (freezer): Some people mentioned you can freeze them for up to 2 months with parchment paper between each patty but I haven’t tried this method so if you do and find success, please share it with us in the comments section below.
• To reheat: reheat over a stovetop over medium to medium-low heat. You might not need to add oil at all. You can also reheat the fritters in the oven at 350F (for convection) or 375F (for regular oven without a fan) for 10-15 minutes, until warmed through.

Nutrition

Serving: 73g, Calories: 232kcal, Carbohydrates: 7g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 22g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 56mg, Sodium: 394mg, Potassium: 232mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 4910IU, Vitamin C: 10mg, Calcium: 50mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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